Let's start working on the user interface

[begla]

I'm getting more and more to the point where I think that a real graphical user interface becomes essential before continuing to work on anything else. This is especially important for creating any advanced gameplay related features. I do not know if biNAry_giRL has started to work on the GUI already? If not, I would start out by implementing a framework that allows the minimalistic and lightweight creation of more or less complex user interfaces.

This might be a good starting point for contributors to work on single display components instead of writing a large part of the engine if they are just starting to work on the project. :ugeek:

My goals for this framework will be...

• Easy creation of complex menu structures making excessive use of object oriented design patterns and well-known best practices
• Easy creation of stylized GUI elements like a life bar, tool bar, inventory and so on
• Rendering will be internally done solely using OpenGL and LWJGL (display elements will be rendered via textures and quads)
• Works without additional frameworks (I had a look at some available GUI frameworks for Java and LWJGL... but I really don't like them)

 

[Cervator]

Yay GUI

Any knowledge of Nifty GUI, by chance? I don't know if it is any good (looks to use XML...), but thought I'd mention it. That's what jMonkeyEngine integrated with

 

[begla]

Yay GUI

Any knowledge of Nifty GUI, by chance? I don't know if it is any good (looks to use XML...), but thought I'd mention it. That's what jMonkeyEngine integrated with

Had a quick look at it when I searched for some fitting frameworks and I did not like it (mainly because I do not like defining things using XML). But that's my pure subjective impression without any further research on the framework itself. :roll:

I hate the thought of integrating something too complex if there is a more simple solution with a bit of initial extra work. I think building a nice GUI framework which fits our needs with Blockmania might be a better idea. And I have something to cope with for the next couple of days...

 

[Cervator]

Yep, that's fine. I hadn't actually looked into Nifty enough to even realize it was XML until just now.

So at first I was like

Then I was like

 

[bINAry_giRL]

i havent started working on anything yet.. like i previously said i mite not be able to before xmas as i have an album to get ready and a remix to do before.. and now ive got lumped into helping my dad build an kitchen extension to my moms house that she HAD TO HAVE ;p.. working all day almost everyday on it (if im not fixing sum1s bloody computer hehe) and im super bushed when i get how now grr ;p i keep feeling like i may have thrown myself into deep here.. possibly not but i just dont want to let u guys down in any way..

heres sum vids of something i was working on recently with lwjgl for you to maybe get an idea if im up to the project or not.... music is me aswell ;p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygnKXS2s ... re=related


i agree the a fresh clean fast and blockengine specific gui sounds best to me other than trying to find/fit some pre-one thing around the engine.?!

b_G
howie

 

[Cervator]

Nifty video! You definitely have the skills to help out, whenever you find the time. Don't rush yourself, there'll be plenty of work left after Xmas

For some reason I saw those walls and immediately thought old school Castle Wolfenstein 3D - admittedly the massive lightshow and later fancier features threw that off a bit

 

[begla]

I've just pushed a first version of the forthcoming GUI framework and a temporary pause menu plus loading screen (world preloading!) as proof of concept.

I'm ready for some constructive code reviews if anyone is in the mood to give me some feedback on the overall architecture. It's still a first draft which I'm going to refine and extend in the next couple of days.

 

[Cervator]

Checked it out via playing, skimmed changes but out of time to give a more in-depth review right now. It helps the game startup massively and looks like it'll be easy to extend, like say if somebody new wanted something to do a nice little options screen would be handy

Really like the easy option to regen the world! And I was getting scared of ESC so that's a relief too. Also, seeing screenshots of the super-mountains is one thing, actually climbing up one is quite something else!

I'm sitting on something I'm totally geeking out over, but it is huge and I want to at least get it working to the point where you can see stuff in the logs if not in-game. Haven't found time to play with it all day. When I find the time to tinker I'll also see how it meshes together with the GUI stuff and review that more closely then